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One Nation, Underdog, Secular

I must confess that when I was a kid and we recited the Pledge of Allegiance in school, I always said, “One nation, Underdog” instead of “under God” because I felt that was more appropriate than falsely claiming I believed in the so-called “Almighty.” So to everyone yacking about the exclusion of god in this phrase, let me tell you that I was one of the early ones who did it deliberately and replaced it with a silly cartoon character—which meant more to me despite the silliness of it. I was seven years old and already an atheist.

This is a secular nation; I don’t particularly give a shit about your god, but I love this country. Worshiping deities in this country is optional; respecting, and abiding by the Constitution is mandatory.

What does that mean? It means you are free to worship whatever you want, but please don’t think your god or religious dogma has any place in the governance of the United States of America. Our government belongs to all of us, and many of us don’t share your religious belief system. I respect your right to worship, but I have zero respect for what you worship, and I certainly don’t want our government espousing, promoting, or favoring your religion, even if it’s worshiped by the majority.

Your churches and homes are the appropriate domains for your religious expression. Once you enter the shared public domain and institutions governed by the First Amendment, your religious beliefs should be held in check out of respect for all your fellow citizens who do not share your religious beliefs, but who do share your respect and observance of our Constitution.

If you are as patriotic as you claim, and you love this country and its Constitution, then you should respect the idea we have a secular government, that our public institutions should be free of, and from, any and all religion. If you don’t, then you don’t respect my rights, and all I can say is go fuck yourself. I will not let your religion intrude my public institutions or my life. I will fight this with every fiber of my being.